G-man's birth story

In honor of my G-man turning 9, here is his birth story:

It was mid-July and I was hugely pregnant and running around after an 18 month old who was full of energy! It was very uncomfortable and very hot. I gave M the hose a lot because it was his favorite activity and it often involved squirting mommy and squealing with delight at my reaction which was much bigger than it needed to be but it served its purpose in that it kept him spraying me which cooled me down. My mom came to visit around the time of my due date which was July 18. Her birthday is July 20th and she just kept talking to my belly telling him to hold on until the 20th because then they could share a birthday. Well, the 18th came and went, then the 19th came and went. I baked a birthday cake for mom in preparation for the following day and, if I'm lyin' I'm dyin', at the stroke of midnight on July 20th, I had my first contraction and I knew that it was the real thing. I hung out a bit just to be sure but I just knew it was real. I woke up Tim and let him know and then I went downstairs and woke up mom by just saying, "you always get your way!" She knew immediately what I was talking about.

Tim and I went for a walk and things progressed. At this time in my mothering journey, I was all about hurrying up and getting it done so I was all ready to get to that hospital and get this show on the road. I now know how lucky I was that they didn't mess with me and cause me to end up with a c-section. We all arrived at the hospital sometime in the wee hours of the morning and I, of course, hadn't progressed much (patience!!). Lynette came and got M and took him back to her house for the rest of the night and mom, Angella and I started walking the halls much to the nurse's dismay. They would have much preferred it if I would have laid in bed with the monitors on but I was on a mission to have this baby! We walked for a long time and then things got more intense so I was ready to get into the shower and labor like I had done with M when the wonderful news came that there was no hot water. None....crap. Now what was I going to do? That was part of my birth plan for natural labor and birth and now I just had to white-knuckle it through as I was still determined to have a natural birth. Tim started counting through contractions, saying a different number with each one and it gave me something to concentrate on. My transition was extremely intense. I had what felt like one long contraction that varied in intensity but never came down for about 15 minutes. I kept making them call the nurse in to check me, convinced that I was complete and ready to push but I wasn't there yet. They kept making me switch from side-to-side and it was excruciating! Finally, I was complete and it really was time to push.

I pushed for a mere 15 minutes and my baby boy was born at 9:30am. He was 7lbs 15oz and 21 inches long. He had the biggest chubby cheeks and full lips and was just beautiful. My heart swelled with joy as they laid him on me and I got to see my little man for the first time. They weighed him and did all of the checking and (this is his favorite part) he peed on the doctor during his exam.

Things settled down a bit. Everything got cleaned up and the nurse came in to give him his first bath. Tim had (in Tim style) mentioned that he had an appointment to get the oil changed in the car. Did I mind if he kept it? I said fine, go. My mom and sister were there and M had already met his new baby brother having arrived with Nana just as the G-man was born. He kind of cringes now to hear it but it makes for a good part of the story.

G-had an apnic episode where he stopped breathing for a few seconds while in the nursery. It landed him in NICU for the remainder of his stay. All of his tests were fine though and he was able to come home with me right on time.

Our other favorite tale to tell about G's birth was when Tim brought M to the hospital the next day and had dressed him in one of G's outfits. M was 18 months old at the time and the outfit that daddy had somehow shoved him into was a 3-6 month size. He looked like a stuffed sausage and when I unbuttoned the bottom to give him some relief, the diaper popped right out like the stuffing popping out of a pillow. I was enraged at the time (hormones) but now, it's absolutely hilarious.

Our G-man fit perfectly into our lives. He was so darn cute with those huge chubby cheeks and his brother loved to pet him on the head. We were so blessed to have 2 healthy boys. He's still such a light in our lives. His HUGE brown eyes positively shine with the excitement of life and his laugh is infectious. He has something that draws people to him and makes friends so easily. He's such a great kid and I'm so proud to be his mom. Happy 9th birthday to my G-man! I love you!!